


Grey Temples

by theoncomingwolf



Series: Carol Lives on Earth with M&M AND is a Space Superhero [6]
Category: WandaVision (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fix-It, Maria's alive, Spoilers, to appear in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:28:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29076369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoncomingwolf/pseuds/theoncomingwolf
Summary: “Maria handled the surgery on Earth because it wasn’t serious,” Carol says, “but when it came back- the doctors were convinced it was terminal, and the way she wasn’t aging was going to be suspicious eventually anyway. She couldn’t just keep dyeing her temples grey.”-Can be read standalone from series.  Danbeau fam fix-it-fic, SPOILERS for WandaVision Ep4[I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it.]
Relationships: Carol Danvers & Monica Rambeau, Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau, Maria Rambeau & Monica Rambeau
Series: Carol Lives on Earth with M&M AND is a Space Superhero [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1547398
Comments: 38
Kudos: 140





	Grey Temples

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Everybody, had to write this real quick. It contradicts the other post-Endgame fic in my series, but that's just because that one's no longer canon-compliant.

“Monica?” 

Lights flicker behind her, fueling the dizzying feeling in her head. All around her, people swarm, comforting victims, asking questions, giving orders. 

It’s unclear to her how long ago she was first sucked into sitcom hell, but ever since, it’s been non-stop disorientation from her trips in and out. The Avengers came, to see Wanda, but she’s too tired to introduce herself. 

She’s managed to shoo away Jimmy, and he’s evidently convinced others to leave her alone for the time being, but she instinctively perks up at the quiet sound of her name in the hubbub.

Monica tucks further into this corner of the chaos she’s secured for herself, staring at her hands and watching as energy drags over her skin, changing them, turning them-

“Monica!” 

She tucks her hands- solid, normal- under her thighs, turning at the pair running up to her.

  
Jimmy smiles, apologetically, as Carol knocks another man over, face flushed with concern as she charges towards her stepdaughter.

Monica stands, mouth hanging open. She hasn’t seen Carol since before the blip.

How will she tell her-?

Before she can try and fail to find the words, Carol has tackled her in a crushing hug that takes the breath from her lungs, spinning her off of her feet.

“Carol-” Monica whispers, into her shoulder, bringing her hands to clutch at Carol’s lapels.

She’s wearing people clothes- a nice blazer over a t-shirt, blending in with the civilians, not here as an Avenger.

“Lieutenant Trouble,” Carol greets, voice tight.

That was Monica’s first thought, when she’d returned from the ‘blip’. It had been her last thought, 5 years ago, waiting for her mother to wake up from surgery, wondering when Carol would throw open the door to see them both.

She was hoping to see her  _ before _ the surgery, but keeping with much of Monica’s life, Carol was in space, fighting a bigger threat. Maria had insisted they not tell her, unwilling to drag her back for something the doctors assured her would go well. 

Monica texted her from the waiting room.

“I’m so sorry...” Carol says, pulling away at last, though her hands still weakly clutch at Monica’s shoulders.

Monica sobs, bringing a hand to her face. She already knows. 

“...for not coming sooner.” she continues, shaking her head, “I went to the hospital, but you were gone, and you weren’t at  _ home _ ... Everything has been so crazy since everyone came back, I thought you went to space. We’ve been trying to find you.”

“Yeah, I’ve- I’ve been  _ here _ mostly, I guess, in Pleasantville,” Monica says, softly, “and before that, I was staying in a hotel by SWORD HQ for a few days... They kind of evicted me from my apartment.”

“Your stuff’s at the house,” Carol says, smiling weakly as tears stream freely down her face.

“Did-” Monica swallows, thickly, “did you get... dusted? Were you there?”

“No,” she says, “I wasn’t dusted... I missed you  _ so  _ goddamn much. You have no idea-”

“Were you there with  _ Mom _ ?”

“I- yes. I came back to Earth first thing.” Carol says, frowning, “The Avengers and I tried to bring everyone back, but- well, it’s a long story, but we couldn’t. They figured it out much later.”

“No, I-” Monica shoves Carol away from her, who looks surprised at the strength of the push, “Was Mom alone?”

“Sometimes...” Carol says, “I mean, she- there was a lot to do with SWORD, here, and I had to be- things were so bad all over, Monica. We had to do our parts. It was so hard without you.”

Monica shakes her head, wiping her eyes. Carol’s hands hover around her, but she seems to think better of the action, and doesn’t quite reach out to touch her.

“Come on,” Carol whispers, “she’ll be so excited to see you.”

“...Who?” Monica asks, feeling that wave of dizziness crash over her once more.

“Your mom,” Carol says, softly, throwing a glance over her shoulder, as she finally settles her hands at Monica’s elbows.

They grasp air.

Monica feels the floor fall out beneath her.

She thinks she’s collapsed for a second, but when the ground under her feet does not reappear at her back, she takes better stock of the situation.

  
Carol stares at her, bewildered, before her head starts turning left and right.

Monica looks at her hands, looks through her hands, at the ground, at her stepmother.

She sets an incorporeal foot back to Earth, stumbling and reappearing as a solid heap at Carol’s feet. 

“I was supposed to be grounded,” she mumbles, “oops.”

“You’re ungrounded,” her stepmother tells her, crouching.

Monica flickers once more, falling backwards, and settles hard on her ass.

People are staring, getting pushed away by Jimmy, but it’s not the craziest thing any of them have seen this week. 

“Hey Danvers, is that you?”

“Fuck off, Scott.” Carol says, not looking up. Monica would laugh, any other time, at the way her stepmother can be very rude when she’s at the end of her stick.

“Yep, alright,” Ant-Man says, not needing to be told twice.

Monica watches him go, watches Jimmy greet him, fixates on the lights around them, at the people.

“Mon, are you good?”

“Mom?” she croaks, afraid to ask and give up this moment of hope, “What about Mom?”

“I- she wants to see you.” Carol says, “She might have to wait. Maybe we should get you checked out...”

“I’m fine,” Monica insists, “is Mom  _ alive _ ?”

Carol flinches, leaning in sharply.

“ _ Yes _ .” She says, intently, “Did you think... she wasn’t?”

Monica flickers, settles at Carol’s hand on her knee.

“The doctor told me the cancer came back-”

“Monica, honey- you think I’d just let- we’re from space.”

“I thought you died too...” Monica says, “like I did. Maybe you weren’t here.”

“Maria handled the surgery on Earth because it wasn’t serious,” Carol says, kneeling fully now, whispering right up to Monica’s ear, “but when it came back- the doctors said it was terminal, and the way she wasn’t aging was going to be suspicious eventually anyway. She couldn’t just keep dyeing her temples grey.”

Monica shakes her head. She’d hoped, of course, for something like this. When SWORD confirmed her mother’s fate, she lost hope but... Carol’s right. They never gave them too many details about their family. They kept the version of SWORD based on Earth on a short leash, not wanting a repeat of SHIELD. 

“It took a while to get her healthy again, even with our resources, and- and we didn’t want to be on Earth without...” Carol’s whisper grows rougher, and Monica knows she’s crying again, “the house is still there, in case you came  _ back _ , and Maria mandated that you’d be grounded from space so we’d be able to find you, here...”

“She’s alive?”

“Yeah, Trouble, she’s alive,” Carol says, leaning back with a wide smile, face flushed red with tears, “you ready to come home?”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked! let me know in the comments.


End file.
